Clinton, Dole to duel on 60 Minutes
By BroadCasting & Cable Staff -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/7/2003 3:00:00 AM
The last "Point-Counterpoint" format 60 Minutes tried failed after only a few shows, in part because Molly Ivins, Stanley Crouch and P.J. O'Rourke may be respected commentators, but the show's audience didn't know them well. The same cannot be said for the co-stars of the latest incarnation.
In their first round of regular debate since they campaigned against each other in 1996, former President Bill Clinton and former Kansas Sen. and presidential candidate Robert Dole are scheduled to discuss the advisability of tax cuts with a war coming.
The current deal is for 10 weeks worth of faceoffs, but the debating duo could run longer.
The pairing is a practical coup for 60 Minutes creator Don Hewitt, who recently announced that he's reducing his responsibilities with the show.
Hewitt began courting Clinton last year following reports that the former president was entertaining various TV projects.
Hewitt said he did not believe Clinton would do a talk show, but he would be interested in the Point-Counterpoint debate segment on 60 Minutes -- the segment will be named simply for the two combatants.
Hewitt met with Clinton in the former president's Harlem office on numerous occasions and had discussions with Clinton's agent, Washington lawyer Robert Barnett.
Hewitt said that he wants from Clinton "what every newspaper wants in a new columnist: that people turn to him for news analysis" and "he becomes like a member of the family."
With the big fish caught, Hewitt looked for the counterpoint. Dole, he said, was selected after consultation with elected officials and politicos.
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